A brown shrike was spotted for the first time in Belgium, Natuurpunt, the association for nature protection in Flanders, reports.
The rare bird was discovered by amateur ornithologists last Friday at Knokke-Heist in Western Flanders.
The brown shrike comes originally from East Asia. An initial specimen had been discovered in Europe, more precisely in Great Britain, in 1985.
The bird was then observed in other countries such as Denmark, Germany, France, Ireland, Italy, Malta, Norway, Spain, Sweden and in North America for the first time this year.
Other rare birds were identified in Belgium last month, notably on the Coast, including: an Isabelline wheatear, a red-eyed vireo and a rufous-tailed shrike.
It is not known exactly why these species have arrived here. But it is not surprising that they were identified in the coastal area according to Natuurpunt.
"The North Sea forms a kind of natural barrier that most song birds do not like to fly over. And at night, the port's lights tend to attract birds, Natuurpunt explains."
452 different species of birds have already been identified in Belgium.
The Brussels Times
